HELP NEEDED: Editions Être in danger!

This morning, while I was searching through the net (to be precise on the La Citrouille Blog) I was shocked to read the letter* I am copying here below. Christian Bruel has already explained all that needed to be said, I just add my personal prayer to you: please spread the word, don't let this help request fall unnoticed.

"Le risque ou dormir**

This was the anagram of my old publishing company's name

Le Sourire qui mord**

On May 7th, during the professional session organised by the Fête du Livre in Villeurbanne, I was invited to talk about the topic « Resisting, at which price? »: when asked by Gérard Picot, who had just heard about this, I publicly announced the future closing of Être publishing company.
Publishing for more than thirty-five years, without a capital, peculiar and demanding picture books has always had the hint of adventure. Without the careful support of many professionals in the field of books, market laws would have won this juggling Pol way before hand.

In moments like these that are not easy, except for some protégés, the idea that a slight drop on the side of professional's supervision might be fatal to us has provoked many emotions. I have been really touched, on the spot and later on as well, by the many encouraging messages and by the commitment of those people who cannot accept the idea that our books might not be present in the life of younger and less young readers anymore. What to do?

I can just incite, all of you, to rush to your favourite bookshops to get copies of the books by Être Publishing until there still is some time. If a purchasing wave might not necessarily guarantee the continuation of our activity, though it shall assure a destiny to books that consider children as readers that deserve undistorted points of view on the world. I wish, for all of us, that those books might keep provoking free interpretations, and resistance to established order. And we owe it as well to the creators of the books that have shared the risk of those literary and human adventures.
« What comes on earth not to trouble doesn't deserve neither consideration nor patience » wrote René Char.
I thank you for yours.
And I'm not sleepy…

Christian Bruel

10 May 2010

contact@etre-editions.com

Être éditions
56, rue Ramus
75020 Paris
http://www.etre-editions.com/

Please join the Facebbok Page in support of Christian Bruel, here :
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=120683554618391&v=wall " ***



I just end this post by saying, as usual, that

culture is freedom: let's fight for it!

* I have translated the letter, I do apologise for its imperfection, should you wish to read the original in French please go here.

** The risk or sleeping.   The biting smile.
***The letter has been reproduced with the permission of Mr. Bruel.